• The Nebraska women’s basketball team returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday to take on No. 9 Maryland in a key Big Ten battle.

• Tip off between Nebraska (7-7, 2-1 Big Ten) and the Terrapins (13-1, 2-1 Big Ten) is set for 7 p.m. (CT) in Lincoln. Live radio coverage (beginning at 6:45 p.m.) can be heard in Lincoln on B107.3 FM, in Omaha, ESPN 590 AM, and in Lexington on 880 AM KRVN, and across the state on Husker Sports Network stations. Free live audio can also be found at Huskers.com, the Huskers App and TuneIn.

• A live video stream will be provided to BTN Plus subscribers.

• The Huskers enter Tuesday’s game looking to rebound from a hard-fought 77-71 loss at No. 19 Iowa last Thursday in Iowa City. Freshman Leigha Brown led the Huskers in scoring for the second straight game by putting up a career-high 20 points off the bench for the Big Red.

• In conference games, Brown, who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Jan. 7), owns the highest scoring average by any Big Ten freshman (16.7 ppg). The 6-1 wing from Auburn, Indiana is averaging 10.4 points per game for an extremely balanced Nebraska offense.

• However, Brown is not the top freshman scorer for the Huskers on the season. That honor belongs to Sam Haiby. The 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., is averaging a team-best 10.7 points per game off the bench. She is averaging 9.7 points per game in Big Ten play to rank sixth among Big Ten freshmen in league play.

• Tuesday’s game will feature five of the Big Ten’s top-11 scoring freshmen overall on the season, including Maryland’s Taylor Mikesell (1st, 14.7 ppg) and Shakira Austin (8th, 9.0 ppg), along with Nebraska’s Sam Haiby (6th, 10.7 ppg), Leigha Brown (7th, 10.4 ppg) and Ashtyn Veerbeek (11th, 8.0 ppg). Maryland’s Austin (1st, 11.1 rpg) and Nebraska’s Veerbeek (4th, 6.5 rpg) are among the Big Ten’s top freshman rebounders and both currently lead their teams on the glass.

• Nebraska features one of the Big Ten’s most balanced lineups with eight players averaging 7.8 or more points per game and nine active players averaging double-figure minutes. Returning Nebraska starters Maddie Simon, Nicea Eliely and Hannah Whitish are all averaging 8.6 points per game.

• Maryland is led by unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection Kaila Charles, who is averaging a team-best 16.8 points per game, including 20.7 points in Big Ten play. The Terps have featured a seven-player rotation early in conference play.

• Tuesday’s game will also showcase two of the Big Ten’s most accurate and active three-point shooters in NU’s Taylor Kissinger (1st, .477, 31-65) and Maryland’s Taylor Mikesell (3rd, .413, 43-104). Mikesell leads the Big Ten in threes per game (3.0), while Kissinger ranks fourth (2.2 pg).

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-7, 2-1 Big Ten)

24 - Maddie Simon - 6-2 - Sr. - F - 8.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg

31 - Kate Cain - 6-5 - So. - C - 7.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg

3 - Hannah Whitish - 5-9 - Jr. - G - 8.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg

5 - Nicea Eliely - 6-1 - Jr. - G - 8.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg

33 - Taylor Kissinger - 6-1 - So. - G - 9.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg

Off the Bench

4 - Sam Haiby - 5-9 - Fr. - G - 10.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg

32 - Leigha Brown - 6-1 - Fr. - F - 10.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg

13 - Ashtyn Veerbeek - 6-2 - Fr. - F - 8.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg

44 - Kayla Mershon - 6-3 - Fr. - F - 2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg

14 - Grace Mitchell - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg

11(out) - Kristian Hudson - 5-5 - Sr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg

Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)

Third Season at Nebraska (35-40); 12th Season Overall (228-149)

No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (13-1, 2-1 Big Ten)

24 - Stephanie Jones - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 13.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg

1 - Shakira Austin - 6-5 - Fr. - F - 9.0 ppg, 11.1 rpg

5 - Kaila Charles - 6-1 - Jr. - G/F - 16.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg

11 - Taylor Mikesell - 5-11 - Fr. - G - 14.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg

22 - Blair Watson - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 8.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Off the Bench

34 - Brianna Fraser - 6-3 - Sr. - G - 8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg

3 - Channise Lewis - 5-8 - So. - G - 3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg

32 - Sara Vujacic - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 2.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg

35 - Olivia Owens - 6-4 - Fr. - C - 1.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg

21 - Sarah Myers - 6-0 - Jr. - G - 1.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg

Head Coach: Brenda Frese (Arizona, 1993)

17th Season at Maryland (442-120); 20th Season Overall (499-150)

Scouting the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins

• Coach Brenda Frese brings her Maryland Terrapins to Lincoln ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation with a 13-1 overall record and a 2-1 Big Ten mark. Frese will take aim at her 500th career win in her 20th season as a college head coach.

• In her 17 seasons at Maryland, Frese has led the Terps to the 2006 NCAA title, three NCAA Final Four appearances and 14 NCAA Tournament bids. Last year, Maryland finished 26-8 overall and 12-4 in the Big Ten to finish second in the conference. The Terps lost in the NCAA second round.

• Maryland went a perfect 11-0 in non-conference play, including top-25 wins at South Carolina (Nov. 18) and over Georgia in Puerto Rico (Nov. 29), but after a Big Ten road-opening win at Penn State (Dec. 28), the Terps suffered a 73-65 home loss to Rutgers on New Year’s Eve.

• The Terrapins bounced back with a 75-69 win over Ohio State in College Park, Md., on Jan. 5, before traveling to Lincoln.

• Maryland’s starting five features three experienced juniors in Kaila Charles (16.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Stephanie Jones (13.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Blair Watson (8.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Charles and Watson were both McDonald’s High School All-Americans in 2016 and ranked among the top-30 players in the nation. Jones was ranked No. 35 in the country by All-Star Girls Report and No. 51 by ESPN.

• Charles, who has scored in double figures in all but one game also has a pair of double-doubles this season. She is averaging 20.7 points in Big Ten play. Charles earned first-team All-Big Ten honors last season after averaging 17.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. The 6-1 wing out of Riverdale Baptist School in Maryland, is a Naismith and Wade Trophy candidate this season. She was a Big Ten All-Freshman choice and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament team in 2016-17.

• Watson, a 6-0 guard out of New Jersey, has produced double figures four times this season after returning from a knee injury that ended her sophomore season for Maryland after starting the first 17 games. Watson averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals in 2017-18.

• Jones, whose sister Brionna also starred at Maryland (2014-17), is in her second season in the Terp starting five. Last season, she averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. The 6-2 forward from Havre de Grace, Md., owns a pair of double-doubles this season and has scored in double figures 11 times.

• The Terps also showcase a pair of impact freshman starters in guard Taylor Mikesell (14.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and 6-5 forward Shakira Austin (9.0 ppg, 11.1 rpg). Austin was a McDonald’s and WBCA All-American who was ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the nation coming out of high school at Riverdale Baptist - the same school as Kaila Charles. Mikesell was an honorable-mention WBCA All-American in high school and ranked as the No. 32 overall player in the country by ESPN.

• Austin is a four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She owns five double-doubles, including 12 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocks vs. Coppin State (Nov. 9). She had 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks at Delaware (Dec. 20). Austin ranks second in the Big Ten with 41 blocks on the year. She has averaged 3.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 16.7 minutes per game early in Big Ten play.

• Mikesell, a 5-11 guard, has proven herself as one of the Big Ten’s best shooters by knocking down 43-of-104 threes (.413) early in the season. She has added 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

• While all five Maryland starters ranked among the top 35 players in the nation coming out of their respective high school senior classes, the Terps feature even more explosive talent off the bench. Maryland’s lone senior - Brianna Fraser - came out of high school as the No. 12 player in the nation by All-Star Girls Report and No. 15 by ESPN. She is averaging 8.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in just 17.5 minutes per game off the bench. She averaged 10.2 points and 5.8 boards off the bench a year ago and has played in 113 games for the Terps with just three starts in her career.

• Channise Lewis, a 5-8 sophomore who started 32 games at point guard last year and added 10 starts ahead of Mikesell early this season, was ranked as the No. 55 player in the nation by ESPN coming out of Miami Country Day High School. She is averaging 3.1 points and a team-best 5.1 assists this season. Lewis had a double-double early this season with 10 points and 12 assists in a win over nationally ranked South Carolina.

• As a team, Maryland is averaging 77.0 points per game while allowing just 55.4 points per contest. The Terps own a plus-14.5 team rebound margin, but a minus-0.4 turnover margin. Maryland is shooting 46.4 percent from the field, including an impressive 35.6 percent from three-point range and 71.8 percent at the free throw line.

• Prior to their 73-65 loss to Rutgers (Dec. 31), the Terps owned a plus-17 rebound margin (48.8-31.8) but were out-rebounded by the Scarlet Knights, 38-28, including 19 offensive boards by Rutgers.

Nebraska vs. Maryland Series History

• Maryland leads the all-time series with Nebraska 9-0, including three wins over the Huskers in 2017-18.

• The No. 11 Terrapins defeated the Huskers 64-57 at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 4, 2018, in a battle of the Big Ten’s top two teams at the time. To that point in the series, it was the closest the Huskers had ever played the Terps. Taylor Kissinger led Nebraska with 18 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting off the bench, while Kaila Charles led Maryland with 25 points and 16 rebounds.

• Three weeks later, Nebraska took No. 13 Maryland to the wire at the Xfinity Center in College Park before falling 77-75. The Huskers trailed by 14 points in the third quarter before rallying to take a 75-74 lead with 48 seconds left. Hannah Whitish led Nebraska with 14 points, including four three-pointers. She also got a good look at a three-pointer from the right wing to win in the closing seconds that caught back iron. Kaila Charles led Maryland with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

• One week later, No. 17 Maryland eliminated Nebraska from the Big Ten Tournament semifinals with a 66-53 win in Indianapolis. Brianna Fraser led Maryland with 18 points off the bench while Kaila Charles added 14 points and seven boards.

• Nebraska’s first meeting with Maryland came in the 2008 NCAA Tournament second round in College Park - a 76-64 Maryland win. NU is 0-7 against the Terps as Big Ten foes.

Husker Nuggets

• The Husker bench has outscored opponents in each of NU’s 14 games this year, including double-digit advantages in 11 games.

• Nebraska is the only team in the Big Ten with two players off the bench (Sam Haiby, 10.7 ppg; Leigha Brown, 10.4 ppg) as its top two scorers.

• Nebraska is also the only team in the Big Ten with two freshmen as the team’s top two scorers.

• Nebraska’s bench outscored the opposition 149-53 over the final four non-conference games, including a season-high 45 points at Arkansas. NU’s bench posted a season-best scoring differential (+37) in its last non-conference home game by outscoring Denver’s bench, 40-3.

• Nebraska’s bench has scored 40 or more points four times, including 45 at Arkansas, 42 points against San Jose State, 41 points against Drake and 40 against Denver.

• Nebraska has outscored each of its three Big Ten foes in the fourth quarter by a combined 82-47 (+11.7 per quarter), including 33-13 vs. Michigan.

• Freshman Sam Haiby led Nebraska with 13 points in a season-opening loss to Drake (Nov. 7). Haiby is the first Husker freshman to lead NU in scoring in an opener since Kelsey Griffin’s 18 in a loss to South Dakota State (Nov. 19, 2005).

• At least one Nebraska freshman has led the Huskers in scoring in nine of 14 games this season (Haiby-5; Brown-4; Veerbeek-1).

Nebraska Streaks

• Sophomore Kate Cain owns the longest streak of consecutive starts by a Husker with 45.

• Kate Cain has at least two rebounds in every game of her Nebraska career (46), and she has blocked at least one shot in 44 of 46 games (no blocks in 2018 NCAA Tournament vs. Arizona State and no blocks at Creighton, Dec. 2, 2018).

• Sophomore Taylor Kissinger is 14-for-14 at the free throw line to open the season and owns the longest active free throw streak by a Husker. Kissinger also hit eight consecutive three-pointers over a three-game stretch earlier this season.

• Junior Grace Mitchell had appeared in 13 consecutive games off the bench, including the first 11 contests this season, before missing the Big Ten opener against Michigan (Dec. 28) with a foot injury. Mitchell, who also missed NU’s win at Ohio State (Dec. 31) returned to action at Iowa (Jan. 3).

• The Huskers have knocked down at least one three in 326 straight games dating back to a loss at UTEP on Dec. 20, 2008. Nebraska has hit at least two three-pointers in 205 consecutive games.

Freshmen Contributing Early for Huskers

• Nebraska has received production early and often from its 2018-19 freshman class. The four-player class, which was ranked among the top 20 recruiting classes in the nation by ESPN last season, features Sam Haiby (1 0.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg), Leigha Brown (10.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg) Ashtyn Veerbeek (8.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Kayla Mershon (2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg).

• Haiby, a 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., leads Nebraska with 10.7 points per game off the bench. She has led the Huskers in scoring in five games, including against nationally ranked Drake (13) and Miami (14), while also scoring a career-high 20 points at Washington State and adding 17 points at Creighton. She also had 16 points to lead the Huskers at Arkansas (Dec. 18). She owns seven double-figure scoring efforts overall, including 12 points at No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29) and 12 more in Nebraska’s Big Ten-opening win over Michigan (Dec. 28).

• Haiby also ranks second among the Huskers in assists (2.8 apg).

• Leigha Brown ranks second overall among the Huskers in scoring with 10.4 points per game after erupting for a career-high 20 points at No. 19 Iowa (Jan. 3). It was her second straight game leading the Huskers, after scoring a then-career-high 19 points at Ohio State (Dec. 31). Brown is leading Nebraska in Big Ten play with 16.7 points per game - the top scoring average by a league freshman in conference-play only. Brown had 11 points and a career-high five rebounds in a win over Michigan (Dec. 28). She had 18 points in the win over San Jose State (Dec. 8), before adding 17 points and a career-high five assists in the win over Denver (Dec. 15). The 6-1 wing from Auburn, Indiana owns six double-figure scoring efforts and has led the Big Red in scoring four times this season.

• Ashtyn Veerbeek ranks third among the Husker freshmen in scoring with 8.0 points per game, while leading the team with 6.5 rebounds. Veerbeek produced her first career double-double with career highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 8). She matched her career high with 14 points in just 14 minutes in the win over Denver (Dec. 15). She added 14 points for the third straight game at Arkansas (Dec. 18) for her fourth double-digit scoring effort of the year. She also ranks second among the Huskers with 12 blocks.

• Kayla Mershon has pitched in 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Huskers, including a career-high seven rebounds in the win over Kansas (Dec. 5). The 6-3 forward from Chanhassen, Minn., also has dished out 10 assists and has committed a team-best five turnovers through 14 games. She has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 10-to-5 (2-to-1) while adding six steals and four blocks.

• The freshmen have combined for 40.2 percent (432-of-1,075) of Nebraska’s points in just 35.3 percent of the team’s total minutes (1,006-of-2,850) on the season. They also have accounted for just 28 percent (62-of-221) of Nebraska’s turnovers.

• Nebraska’s four freshmen are combining to average 31.5 points and 14.6 rebounds per game - all off the bench, giving the Huskers one of the deepest and most productive benches in the Big Ten.

Whitish Earns Preseason All-Big Ten Honors

• Nebraska’s Hannah Whitish was named to the 12-player All-Big Ten Team by the conference coaches when the annual preseason honors were announced on Oct. 22.

• Whitish, a 5-9 junior guard from Barneveld, Wis., led Nebraska in scoring (12.6 ppg) and assists (4.7 apg) as a sophomore in 2017-18. She owned a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as Nebraska’s point guard while also ranking among the Big Ten’s best three-point shooters. Whitish played a major role in lifting Nebraska to the nation’s top turnaround in the win column last season, as the Huskers recorded 14 more victories (21) in 2017-18 than in 2016-17 (7). She captured second-team All-Big Ten accolades at the end of last season while helping Nebraska to the NCAA Tournament.

• Whitish was the lone Husker honored by the league in preseason voting of the conference coaches.

• The Big Ten Conference does not rank its team’s No. 1 through No. 14 in preseason voting, instead the coaches and select media members each choose their projected top-three teams in the league. Maryland is the preseason pick of the coaches and the media to win the Big Ten, while Iowa was picked No. 2 by both the coaches and media. The league coaches chose Michigan in the No. 3 spot, while the conference media selected Minnesota. Iowa senior center Megan Gustafson was chosen by the coaches as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. Gustafson, Maryland’s Kaila Charles, Michigan’s Hallie Thome and Minnesota’s Kenisha Bell were all unanimous preseason all-conference selections by the coaches.

Nebraska’s History of Home Success

• Nebraska had its streak of 12 consecutive season-opening wins snapped with an 83-77 loss to current top-25 team and two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake on Nov. 7. However, the Huskers still have an outstanding history of success at home, including a 5-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena to open 2018-19.

• The Huskers were 10-6 at home in 2017-18, winning five of their final six home games.

• The Huskers went 15-4 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2015-16 after going 12-3 (13-3 at home) in 2014-15. The Huskers are 65-25 (.722) all-time at Pinnacle Bank Arena since the building opened for the 2013-14 campaign. The Big Red went 16-2 at home in 2013-14, suffering their only Big Ten loss to Purdue, 77-75, on Jan. 19, 2014. NU’s 16 home wins in 2013-14 tied the school record for single-season home victories.

• The Huskers played the first regular-season game arena history against USA Today No. 25 UCLA (Nov. 8, 2013) and rolled to a 77-49 win over the Bruins. NU’s first win over an AP Top 25 team came with a 76-56 win over No. 24 Michigan State on Feb. 8, 2014. The Huskers added their first-ever win over an AP Top 10 team at the arena with a 94-74 victory over No. 8 Penn State on Feb. 24, 2014.

• NU won its first-ever Big Ten home game at Pinnacle Bank Arena with a 66-65 thriller over Northwestern Jan. 2, 2014, before an 88-85 win over Minnesota on Jan. 16, 2014, marked the first overtime game.

• NU suffered its first loss at the arena to Washington State (76-72) on Nov. 30, 2013.

• The Huskers are 454-155 (.745) all-time at home. The Huskers have gone 190-59 (.763) over the last 16 seasons (including 2018-19), posting double-figure home victory totals 14 times.

• Nebraska played in the Devaney Center from 1976-77 through 2012-13, and added one appearance at Devaney against Utah on Nov. 23, 2014. The Huskers own a 389-130 record at the Devaney Center, including 146-88 (.624) mark in conference play.

Nebraska Ranks Near Top in Attendance

• Nebraska ranked No. 20 nationally with an average home attendance of 4,380 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2017-18. It marked the eighth consecutive year that the Huskers have ranked in the top 25 nationally in average home attendance.

• Nebraska has ranked among the top 20 nationally in average home attendance in each of its first five seasons inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

• In 90 all-time home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers own a 65-25 record (.722 winning percentage) while averaging 5,247 fans per game (472,262 total fans/90 games).

• Nebraska attracted a Pinnacle Bank Arena non-conference record crowd of 9,750 to open its stay in the arena with a win over UCLA on Nov. 8, 2013.

• Nebraska set its all-time single-game record with a sellout crowd of 13,595 fans against Missouri at the Devaney Center on Feb. 27, 2010. NU drew 10 straight crowds of more than 10,000 fans at the Devaney Center in 2009-10.

• Nebraska produced its top attendance season in school history by ranking No. 7 nationally with a record 7,390 fans per game at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2009-10. The Huskers went 16-0 at the Devaney Center on their way to a perfect 29-0 record, a Big 12 title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Husker Sports Network Covers World

The Husker Sports Network enters its 25th season producing and marketing the live broadcasts of Nebraska women’s basketball in 2018-19. Women’s basketball play-by-play announcer Matt Coatney and color commentator Jeff Griesch will team up for their 18th season together as the Husker broadcast team.

The Husker Sports Network and Nebraska women’s basketball have teamed up for well over a decade to take every game, home and away, around the world for free on Huskers.com.

In addition to carrying every women’s basketball game free on Huskers.com, the Husker Sports Network flagship stations B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln) and ESPN 590 AM-KXSP (Omaha) provide strong signals for Husker women’s basketball. When a network conflict occurs in Omaha, the Huskers also could be heard on CD105.9 FM-KKCD. 880-AM-KRVN (Lexington) also provides a huge AM signal statewide in central Nebraska, while more than 20 stations carry the Husker Sports Network’s women’s basketball coverage across the state and the Midwest.

Inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, fans can access the direct radio call of the game at 87.7 FM.

Boosters Plan Big Ten Bus Trip to Wisconsin

• Husker fans who would like an opportunity to follow the Nebraska women’s basketball team on the road during Big Ten Conference play have a pair of opportunities coming up in January.

• Nebraska’s second booster bus trip of the season will include an overnight stay in Wisconsin, round-trip bus transportation and a game ticket for Nebraska’s game against the Badgers on Sunday, Jan. 27.

• The bus will leave from Lincoln on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 8 a.m. Husker fans will enjoy a hotel stay at The Graduate on Saturday night ($220/person or $160/person double-occupancy), transportation, game tickets and food as part of the package. Tip at Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 27, is set for 2 p.m., and the bus will return to Lincoln immediately following the game with an expected arrival around 2 a.m. (Monday).

• To book your trip or for more information, contact Doug Fry at (402) 617-7039.